


The Caged Nightingale Sings Sweeter

by Rirren



Series: The Caged Nightingale [2]
Category: Dororo (Anime 2019)
Genre: Captivity, Concubine, Hair Brushing, M/M, Sibling Incest
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-25
Updated: 2019-10-25
Packaged: 2021-01-02 12:50:49
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,680
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21161948
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rirren/pseuds/Rirren
Summary: Tahoumaru found a way to save both his brother and his realm. But not everyone's happy.





	The Caged Nightingale Sings Sweeter

**Author's Note:**

> The powder Tahoumaru uses as lube is called tsuuwasan (通和散). It's made from the roots of the abika plant (also used in making Japanese washi paper), and is recorded as having been sold in the Edo period. I'm not sure whether it was in common use in the Sengoku period, and they may have used clove oil instead but powder lube seemed cool so I wanted to try it out.

"Report."

Tahoumaru could feel his hair sticking to his neck but he did his best to pretend he hadn't even noticed. It was quite a distance from the main house and he had worked up a sweat in the journey up the mountain. The guard bowed, and answered without expression,

"He has been quiet. He let the servants do their work without resisting but he has kicked the walls a few times."

Tahoumaru nodded. It was better than most days … maybe he was settling in? He moved past the guards and into the building. He paused for a while in the shade of the entranceway, dabbed the sweat from his face carefully with his sleeves and straightened his clothes before unlocking the door. 

The room inside was constructed of solid wood and for a very different purpose, but the servants had done their best to decorate it in a way befitting the occupant—with delicate brush paintings on the walls, finely carved privacy screens and furniture, and extravagant silk cushions.

In the middle of a pile of cushions and bedding, flat on his back, his slight body dwarfed in a beautiful pale green kimono, was Hyakkimaru.

When the door swung open he rolled onto his side clumsily and asked the same question he'd been asking since Tahoumaru had brought him here:

"Go?"

"Hello, _aniue_."

Tahoumaru shut the door behind him, placed the wrapped parcel he had been holding on the floor, and knelt beside his brother. 

"Want go," said Hyakkimaru.

He wriggled a little but didn't move. The empty sleeves of his kimono hung by his body, a single pale foot poking out from the bottom of the robe. It was an effective imprisoning method, one that did not even require restraints. Tahoumaru was glad that he did not have to see Hyakkimaru in chains, but given the way he had reacted when his prosthetic limbs were taken from him, it might have been better.

"Father would kill you if you left," Tahoumaru explained, helping Hyakkimaru sit up.

"Dororo?" Hyakkimaru asked, slurring slightly as he tripped over the 'r's.

"He's safe."

It had become immediately apparent that the child following his brother around would not leave or allow Hyakkimaru to leave. So Tahoumaru had needed to find accommodation for an extra person—another thing his father had reacted to in stony silence. But his mother seemed to have taken a shine to the child and had been visiting him regularly. Tahoumaru studiously looked away every time he caught her heading over there, his chest tightening as he tried to push down the jealousy.

"Want go."

"You can't," Tahoumaru said a little more sharply. "…_Aniue, please_. Father will let you see Dororo, but you need to be good for a little longer. Okay? Be good, see Dororo."

Hyakkimaru exhaled, dropping his head. Then he turned his face up, lifting one shoulder slightly. 

"Arm? Leg?"

Now this was a request Tahoumaru could fulfil. His lips turned up and he got up to bring over the item wrapped in cloth he'd left by the door. Hyakkimaru leaned over curiously and then started practically vibrating with excitement as Tahoumaru revealed the jointed wooden arm within. Of course, Father had not allowed Tahoumaru to return all of Hyakkimaru's limbs, but just one arm was not very dangerous, especially when it was constructed without any hidden blades.

"Here. It's a right a—"

"Arm," interjected Hyakkimaru, not even listening, wriggling his shoulders and shrugging off his kimono.

It fell down and pooled around his waist, exposing his chest. He waved the stump of his arm wildly—it still amazed Tahoumaru that somehow that tiny movement was enough for Hyakkimaru to control all the exact motions in his wooden arms and fight well enough to kill demons. Tahoumaru strapped the arm onto Hyakkimaru's right shoulder, careful to be gentle. He still got scared that he would hurt his brother when touching where his limbs had been torn away.

Hyakkimaru immediately started bending his arm and wriggling his fingers, testing the range of motion. He pressed his palm against the floor, felt his face, and briefly tried to pull at the hand with his teeth, before realising it did not slide off like his last arms. Still, he looked a lot more at ease, relief smoothing out his face.

"I'm sorry," said Tahoumaru, closing his eyes for a second. "This didn't really turn out how it thought it would."

In his mind it had been the perfect solution: a way to keep both his brother and his land safe. But doubt had set in the very moment he had seen his father's face when he had arrived home. He had listened without a word to Tahoumaru's explanation, and had only said, after several moments of silence, that it was Tahoumaru's responsibility if anything went wrong, before leaving. His mother had been easier to read, visibly confused and conflicted, before getting upset and needing to leave. Several days later she had found Tahoumaru and thanked him for saving Hyakkimaru when she couldn't, but still, Tahoumaru got the feeling this wasn't what she had wanted. She still hadn't come to see Hyakkimaru.

It wasn't the reaction he had hoped for. But when he could see the people of Ishikawa, surviving and thriving compared to their war-torn neighbours, and when he could visit Hyakkimaru and see him safe and alive … it was worth it no matter what anyone thought.

Hyakkimaru tilted his head, obviously missing something from his words. Tahoumaru had been spending as much time with him as possible, teaching him words and talking with him, trying to help him adjust. Hyakkimaru's speech was still mostly limited to one word sentences but he understood more than he could say, although complicated sentences were beyond him yet.

"Never mind," he said.

He tugged Hyakkimaru's kimono up his body and helped him thread his new arm into the sleeve.

"I can't let my concubine look so dishevelled," he said with a smile, straightening the collar and retying the belt.

He sat up and grabbed a comb from the top of the vanity. Hyakkimaru turned around when he came back, used to this part of their routine. He knelt behind Hyakkimaru and gently separated locks of his hair, combing through with his fingers. Hyakkimaru had probably been rolling around on his back all day, rubbing his hair against the floor and sheets and getting it all knotted and tangled.

Hyakkimaru leaned into the touch with a sigh. Tahoumaru started running the comb through the ends of Hyakkimaru's hair, brushing through the knots at the bottom before moving up. The comb ran through the silky black strands with a quiet _sshh_ sound, repetitive and relaxing. Sometimes he came across a particular stubborn knot which he pulled apart with his fingers, determined to not let even one strand snap.

Soon it was all detangled, and the comb moved through as easily as if it was water. He kept brushing through Hyakkimaru's long lengths, running all the way from the top of his hairline to the ends just above his waist. He pressed the comb against Hyakkimaru's scalp, watching as the teeth separated the hair into tiny rows, exposing pure white skin, before closing up again as he moved the comb down. 

Hyakkimaru's eyes were half-shut, his head tipping back as Tahoumaru brushed his hair. Now and then he turned his head slightly, directing Tahoumaru's motions. Again and again he brushed his brother's hair, following the line of his head with the comb, pressing against the skin of his neck and catching on the collar before dragging it all the way down.

Eventually he put the comb down and ran his fingers through the waterfall of shining soft hair in front of him. He dug his fingers in a little further, scratching at his brother's skin with his nails, feeling the pleasant sensation of hair running through his fingers, tickling the sensitive skin in between his digits. He daringly let his fingers brush against the back of Hyakkimaru's neck, his mouth going dry at the feeling. He did it again, and then he separated the hair in two, brushing both pieces to the front.

Hyakkimaru's hair parted at his nape, revealing a slender pale neck. The collar of his kimono dipped sensually at the back, exposing the top few vertebrae and hiding the rest of his spine under heavy cloth. Tahoumaru brushed his hand up Hyakkimaru's neck, then dragged his hand down, the tips of his fingers curling just underneath the kimono, and finally laid his hand full over the nape. He leaned over, pressed his face against the back of Hyakkimaru's head, and took deep breaths, feeling hair tickle his nose.

Hyakkimaru shifted, and then he turned, dislodging Tahoumaru and saying,

"Kiss?"

Tahoumaru cupped his face with one hand and then leaned in, touching their lips together. Hyakkimaru sighed into the kiss and moved his lips, slowly and languidly, the hard wood of his prosthetic hand coming to rest on Tahoumaru's thigh. Tahoumaru felt the soft touch of a tongue trace his lips as their mouths opened together. 

Hyakkimaru broke away, baring his throat before Tahoumaru.

"Kiss?"

His voice was breathy as he spoke, completely direct about asking for what he wanted. He lacked any shame or embarrassment about sex and his desires. A few times Tahoumaru had actually had to stop him from going too far in front of the servants.

Funnily enough Tahoumaru had assumed this would be a purely chaste affair—just using the concubine act as a cover to keep Hyakkimaru safe. And at the beginning that's what it had been—just visiting Hyakkimaru and spending time alone with him while people made assumptions. He'd had no intentions of taking it in that direction, even though a fire had glowed deep in his belly whenever he stared too long at Hyakkimaru, slender and pale and beautiful in the Daigo family finery. It was Hyakkimaru who had made the first move—clumsily asking his brother to make him feel good again. And despite everything that had happened last time, despite all the reasons his conscience had been giving him to stop this … Tahoumaru had given in.

As far as he knew, Hyakkimaru still didn't know about them being brothers, or the significance of that. He had no idea how to communicate that yet, not with his brother's limited vocabulary. But selfishly he was relieved he didn't have to explain anything yet, that he could have this time together to forget his guilt and the judgement from others.

"Kiss."

The repeated request broke Tahoumaru out of his thoughts. He leaned in, kissed down Hyakkimaru's jaw, and latched onto his throat—a slow wet suck, laving the skin with his tongue. Hyakkimaru trembled and exhaled shakily, his pulse picking up under Tahoumaru's mouth. He trembled under the attention, then turned his head again, directing Tahoumaru to the other side.

Tahoumaru tugged at Hyakkimaru's collar and buried his face in his shoulder, nipping and sucking just above the collarbone, and then he reached out blindly to pull Hyakkimaru onto his lap. Hyakkimaru panted as he pulled himself closer. His weight pressed down on Tahoumaru's growing erection and he rolled his hips into it.

All these layers were getting in the way. Tahoumaru broke away, ignoring Hyakkimaru's whine, and tucked his finger into his brother's belt. Hyakkimaru caught on quickly, tugging at his clothes with one hand and helping Tahoumaru undress him. Gently Tahoumaru laid him back on the layers of the unfolded kimono and untied his loin cloth, before pressing their lips together. 

He pressed kisses down Hyakkimaru's body. His skin was as pale and soft as mochi, untouched by anyone else, and part of Tahoumaru thrilled at that—that he could be Hyakkimaru's first, that Hyakkimaru didn't know pleasure from anyone else.

He laid the palm of his hand flat on Hyakkimaru's hip, thumb just touching the sparse curls of pubic hair, and dragged his tongue down to the swell of his nipple, before sucking one delicate bud into his mouth. Hyakkimaru shuddered under him, moaning brokenly, with absolutely no restraint.

"Ngh, ngh, Ta, Ta—"

Tahoumaru flicked his tongue lightly and lightly pressed down with his teeth, feeling the nipple harden between his lips, until Hyakkimaru was gasping and shuddering under him. A wooden hand tangled with his hair, and pushed at him, dislodging him from Hyakkimaru's chest.

Tahoumaru glanced up, catching a glimpse of Hyakkimaru—face flushed pink down to his neck, lips red and wet—before Hyakkimaru pushed him more strongly. He went with the motion, pressing kisses as he went, listening to his brother's moans and whines. Finally his chin brushed against the heat of Hyakkimaru's cock. He turned his head, dragging his cheek against the shaft, revelling in the way Hyakkimaru bucked up and his whines got more high-pitched. The hand in his hair tugged hard enough to hurt and he looked up.

"_Aniue?_" he asked, deliberately not touching him.

Hyakkimaru groaned, his eyes shining. "P-plea, please," he stuttered.

Tahoumaru smiled and then ducked down. He pressed his mouth to the tip, Hyakkimaru jerked up, and he pushed him down, holding onto the base of his cock.

"Stay still. I'll take care of you."

A fire sparked within him at the moan from his brother when Tahoumaru took his cock into his mouth. He pushed down, until he could feel it at the back of his throat, until his face was buried in Hyakkimaru's crotch, pressing against warm skin, breathing him in. He was holding his brother inside him, all his senses overwhelmed with him.

He swallowed, feeling his throat contract around the head, and pulled back torturously slowly. Hyakkimaru's body was held as taut as a bow, shivering in ecstasy. Tahoumaru pulled back until only the tip was left in his mouth, his tongue resting against the underside, feeling the flesh throb.

"Ta—ta ... hou ... maru," Hyakkimaru gasped.

Tahoumaru pumped his hand around the shaft, lashed his tongue around the tip, and Hyakkimaru let out a sob, his body jerking up from the ground. He bobbed his head down, the length filling his mouth, and he heard Hyakkimaru's foot thump against the ground as he writhed. He set up a quick rhythm, the sweetness leaking into his mouth telling him it wouldn't be long. His own cock strained against his clothes, a pulsing heat that he didn't touch.

Hyakkimaru whined, his hand clenching in Tahoumaru's hair, and then his body went stiff and liquid filled Tahoumaru's mouth. He swallowed it down, hearing Hyakkimaru gasp for air, and looked up, seeing his brother's chest heave, flushed pink and dewy with sweat. Hyakkimaru's hand fell to the floor and Tahoumaru pulled away, letting Hyakkimaru's soft cock slip from his lips.

Hyakkimaru made a long humming sighing sound, curling his body in for a moment before loosening. Tahoumaru knelt below him, uncomfortably hot, his clothes sticking with sweat, and just watched his brother's relaxed and satisfied face.

Hyakkimaru exhaled one last time, then raised his hand, pawing at the air. Tahoumaru crawled over and Hyakkimaru dragged his hand down his kimono, making some slurred sound.

"You want me to take it off?" Tahoumaru guessed.

"Off," Hyakkimaru echoed.

Tahoumaru sat back, untying the belts on his clothes, taking off each heavy suffocating layer as Hyakkimaru lay there watching him with his blind eyes.

His skin goosepimpled as he stripped, the sweat cooling as he exposed himself, throwing his clothes to the side when he was done, kneeling there completely naked. Hyakkimaru lifted his hand up and Tahoumaru met him halfway, before letting out a cry of surprise as his arm was abruptly jerked, pulling him down on top of the kimono too. Hyakkimaru rolled onto his side, wriggled closer, and then he was pressing his face against Tahoumaru's chest. He rubbed his head side to the side, and then nuzzled up to his shoulders, brushing his cheeks against Tahoumaru's, bumping his nose against his face, their lips brushing together in an almost kiss.

Tahoumaru's body melted under the assault—his brother's way of showing affection. It wasn't strange anymore. Why would Hyakkimaru use his hands when he couldn't feel anything? When it was his nose, his cheeks, his lips, his tongue, that were the most sensitive?

Hyakkimaru relaxed, resting their foreheads together, but Tahoumaru tilted his head, brushing his cheek against Hyakkimaru's and whispering into his ear.

"Let me take you, _aniue_."

He laid his hand on Hyakkimaru's hip, rubbing his thumb against the skin, fingers just inches from the stump of his leg.

"Mmm," hummed Hyakkimaru, and he rolled onto his back languidly.

Tahoumaru pulled away, his face flushing with excitement. He grabbed a cushion and settled it under Hyakkimaru's ass, propping him up. He then retrieved a pouch from where it had been tied inside his kimono and tipped out some of the powder into his open palm. He swished saliva around the inside of his mouth, building it up, and then spat into his hand. One more time and he had enough to mix with the powder to make a gooey clear paste.

Hyakkimaru shifted, bending his knee and spreading his thighs as Tahoumaru settled at his crotch. He coated his finger with lube and stroked the tiny furled hole, massaging it gently but not pushing in, watching Hyakkimaru's face. Hyakkimaru exhaled, Tahoumaru felt the hole under the pad of his finger relax, and he pushed in. 

It was warm inside, the flesh velvety soft, flexing a little around his finger as he sunk it all the way in. His breath caught at the tight grip and he felt the arousal in his belly wind tighter. He twisted his finger, thumb stroking the perineum, and dragged it out slowly. He plunged it in again, rubbing inside, and started up a slow steady thrusting, revelling in the little sighs and moans Hyakkimaru made in response. 

His brother was beautiful like this—laid out on an exquisitely embroidered kimono, jet-black hair fanning his moon-pale face. He looked like a prince among finery, and Tahoumaru wanted to wrap him up in luxury and spoil him, treat him the way a son of Daigo should be treated.

There was barely any resistance now, his finger gliding in easily as Hyakkimaru squirmed impatiently, his open hand lying palm up near his face, as if beckoning Tahoumaru. But there was no point if he couldn’t feel it. 

Instead Tahoumaru pulled out, coated his cock with the rest of the lubricant, and lowered himself down, resting on his elbows. With his left hand he cupped Hyakkimaru’s face, stroking the skin under his eyes with his thumb, gliding down his cheek, and then resting against the plush cushion of his bottom lip. Hyakkimaru’s lips pursed slightly around the thumb, a soft wet tongue touching the pad, then drew it into his mouth, sucking slowly around it. Tahoumaru’s breath hitched, his body shuddering, and he rocked his hips, cock sliding against the hard planes of Hyakkimaru’s stomach.

“_A-aniue_...”

He took a deep breath to control himself, before pulling his hand away. He reached down and took himself in hand, guiding his cock down, until it caught on the soft open hole and slipped in.

He sunk in, as smoothly and as easily as if he was meant to be there. His eyes fluttered shut and he heard a shaky gasp underneath him. Their bodies pressed together when he was fully in, a searing warmth embracing him everywhere. He could barely move in this position, just a slow shallow thrusting, his cock feeling like it was sliding through liquid silk. He wanted to make it last as long as possible. He wanted an eternity of this—of Hyakkimaru’s skin warm against his, his silky hair brushing his face, his moans and broken voice, unpractised and uninhibited.

He hugged Hyakkimaru closer to him, sliding his hands down and gripping his ass, pushing them together. He buried his face in his shoulder, and when he felt his brother’s face turn and nuzzle him he cried out, before biting down to muffle the sound. He’d lost his rhythm, his body moving furiously and without any goal except to get closer, to climb inside somehow, make them one being. He didn’t want it to end but he was already there, teetering on the cliff’s edge before falling with a pained whimper and one last harsh thrust in.

He panted, the highs of the ecstasy fading away slowly, leaving him weak and boneless. He pulled out and flopped on his side, feeling a drop of sweat slide down his forehead. His eyes caught on the red mark on Hyakkimaru’s shoulder and he leaned over to kiss it, lapping gently at the soreness.

“Sorry...” he whispered.

Hyakkimaru wriggled and turned over, his face dizzyingly close. His hand came up and tapped Tahoumaru on the chest.

“Go,” he said. “Tahoumaru go.”

Tahoumaru flinched back. “_Aniue?_”

He couldn’t read Hyakkimaru’s face, back to its resting state of blankness. A horrible fear gripped him, stuck its claws into his heart, that he’d somehow misinterpreted something. 

“Go,” Hyakkimaru repeated.

Tahoumaru lurched up, feeling his face burn with humiliation. But Hyakkimaru caught him by the hand and tugged him back down to the floor. He tapped Tahoumaru’s chest then his own.

“Go. Tahoumaru go. Hyakkimaru go.” He pointed out of the room. “Dororo go.”

“I … _Aniue_ ...”

“Go. Want go.”

He tapped their chests again, repeated the same demand, again and again, and Tahoumaru grabbed his hand.

“I know!”

Hyakkimaru tried to wriggle free, and Tahoumaru pulled his flailing body into a tight hug. He was still begging, his voice catching, kicking the cushions and sheets around him.

“Go … _go!_”

“_Aniue_, please.”

He couldn’t answer. He just held him close, waiting out his struggles, trying to hold back the stinging in his eyes.

“I know … please, I love you...”

And eventually Hyakkimaru fell limp and lifeless in his arms.

“Want go...” came a broken whimper.

"I know ... I know..."

He hugged him tighter.


End file.
